'Game of Thrones' Season 6 Will Spoil George R.R. Martin's Next Novel

Last night, just after midnight, author George R.R. Martin pressed publish on a blog that’s bound to disappoint every Game of Thrones junkie out there. Dropping the not totally unexpected bomb that the next book in the series, The Winds of Winter — on which season six will be based — will not be published in time for the show’s April 2016 release date.

“I tried, I promise you. I failed,” Martin wrote, dramatically calling this his “worst of times.”

In order for the book to have come out before the program, it would have to be published before the end of March 2016. Halloween was his first deadline. When it became clear that Martin wasn’t going to meet it, he writes, “I cannot tell you how deeply that realization depressed me.” The next deadline set in place was for the New Year, and he blew that too.

Though Martin has “dozens of chapters” completed, he’s months away from finishing. In this really kind of sad post, he blames other projects, travels, and even his age (he’s 67) as reasons for not finishing in a timely manner. Martin notes that once it’s done, his publishers will likely release the hardcover within three months.

“You’re disappointed, and you’re not alone,” he types gloomily — apparently so are his editors, publishers, agents, and HBO execs.

“Will the show ‘spoil’ the novels? Maybe. Yes and no,” he writes honestly. He never thought the series would precede the books, so in his own defense, he adds, “I can’t think of any other instance where the movie or TV show came out as the source material was still being written.”

The books and show aren’t mirror images of each other anyway. And according to the season 6 HBO teaser and an interview with dreamy dreamboat Jon Snow, aka actor Kit Harington, spoilers are just par for the course when it comes to the residents of Westeros.